Make your next bid a blockbuster: steal these ideas from Hollywood

This blog is a fun look at applying some of Hollywood's most famous tried-and-true techniques to tenders and bids.

Just as the film industry uses creative processes to craft unforgettable movies, you can use these same strategies to create compelling, winning bids.

Let's dive into how you can transform your next bid into a blockbuster success by borrowing from the best practices of Hollywood.

The table read

What it is: In Hollywood, a table read is where the cast and crew gather to read through the script together.

Applied to your bid: Organise a kick-off meeting or ‘page turn’ to go through the RFT documents together. This ensures everyone is on the same page and can provide input, identify issues, and suggest next steps.

Spitballing

What it is: Spitballing involves brainstorming ideas freely and openly.

Applied to your bid: Encourage your team to throw out ideas without judgment during the initial planning phase, perhaps during the initial table read or at a subsequent session. A free-form forum such as this can see winning themes, innovative solutions, and creative approaches to the bid emerge.

Storyboarding

What it is: Storyboarding is creating visual representations of the script to plan out the scenes.

Applied to your bid: Create templates to guide your subject matter experts who will draft content. You can also use storyboarding to design your response documents—incorporating visual aids like flowcharts, diagrams, and infographics to distil complex information for the evaluators into easily digestible visuals.

Casting

What it is: Casting is selecting actors for roles.

Applied to your bid: Assign the right people to the right parts of the bid. Ensure each team member's strengths are leveraged, whether it's technical writing, design, or project management.

For the professional services delivery teams, ensure your Client Relationship Partner has the skills and support to make a success of the service relationship, and don’t play bait and switch by promising the A-team only to relegate a client’s work to the B-team or ‘understudies’.

Director’s cut

What it is: A director’s cut is a version of the film that reflects the director’s vision, often with additional scenes or edits.

Applied to your bid: Before final submission, have the Client Relationship Partner review the bid to ensure it aligns with your firm’s strategic vision and goals, making final adjustments as needed.

Script doctor / punch up

What it is: A script doctor is a writer brought in to improve or ‘punch up’ the screenplay.

Applied to your bid: Bring in an expert or consultant tender writer and editor to review and enhance your bid content by refining language, adding compelling storytelling elements, and making the text more engaging and persuasive. They will often offer final ‘white glove’ or proofreading reviews to ensure your bid is visually polished, persuasive, and error-free.

Trailer or preview

What it is: A trailer or preview is a short sneak peek of the film designed to entice audiences.

Applied to your bid: Create a compelling executive summary or introduction that grabs the evaluators' attention and provides a snapshot of your bid's strengths and benefits.

See Bidtique’s free guide on Mastering Executive Summaries.

Test screening

What it is: Test screenings are held to gather feedback from a sample audience.

Applied to your bid: Where time allows, conduct a red or bronze review of key sections of your bid with a small group of subject matter experts outside the core bid team to gather feedback and then make necessary adjustments before the final submission.

Greenlight

What it is: Greenlighting a film means giving it the go-ahead to move into production.

Applied to your bid: After thorough review and revisions, get final approval from a narrow group of stakeholders to ensure everyone is aligned and the bid is ready for submission. It’s not uncommon to find that once the bid is finalised, everyone suddenly wants to have a say.

My advice is to set expectations around an unambiguous ‘buck stops here’ sign-off by restricting the final sign-off to a single person with appropriate authority - the managing partner, or the relationship partner for that client, for example.

By adopting these Hollywood techniques, you can turn your bid into a blockbuster that stands out and captivates evaluators.

Of course, this is a tongue-in-cheek look at bid processes, but if you have the time, exploring some of these techniques could add significant value to your bids if they’re not already part of your process.

Happy Bidding!